Source: Marcin Zreda
Date: April 27, 2010

I am not a big fan of concept which moves industry standards to IT. I am rather a Agile and Scrum guy. Managing multiple projects at once and trying to set a highest quality standard is a challenge and this book shows how industrial language can be translated into software development. I do not think that it is a IT project Bible but it is a some kind of handbook for multiple project management purposes. Not easy and not obvious but worth read to imagine some structural and complicated issues. Second part of the title is “Ensuring Product Integrity and Program Quality” – great catchword, let’s see if there is an answer.

Authors: Jon M. Quigley and Kim H. Pries are well known project management authorities. Kim is an author of book regarding Six Sigma for New Millennium, Jon is a project management consultant with many years experience in software and hardware development for industry. The book written by practitioners is compact, concise and based on the problems and solve them. Quickly get answers for your questions. There are many charts, diagrams and schemas. “War stories” that ends every chapter give us a concrete solutions for real life issues.

I will explain a few chapters, which were taken especially in my memory. Every project manager will find something valuable.

1.1.7 Project Manager’s Role
This is a great, ten pages long chapter dealing with described role components like customer focus, brainstorming, team creation and conflicts resolving. It shows different organization structures: functional and matrix. Also shows the multiplicity of channels of communication and exchange valuable ideas in the form of checklist.

3 Concept
What is more important, if not the idea. What is more important than the well-described and validated idea. This section thoroughly describes each component of the complex process of creating the concept and refining the requirements. Can not say about how easy analyze, and respond to change, that issues are determined with a sort of Agile methodologies, but describes things at a higher level, help to better understand this most important stage of production.

7 Release to Production
This is my favorite part, release management is an issue that recently had to do in life. I know how difficult it is to truly organize this stage of the project, which has a crucial impact on the quality of the final product. Described points are taken from the industry, but very well suited for the production of software, you will find here: Trial Productions Runs, Pilot Runs, Method Builds, Production Release Risk and Costs.

Source: Jeb Riordan
Date:

This book is a refreshing look at how generally accepted project management processes are deployed in the development of embedded systems in the automotive industry.

As if there isn’t enough project management ‘models’, the authors, Pries and Quigley, introduce their own ‘QP Model’ of project management. They assert that project management in the automotive industry is a ‘control process’ and done effectively these processes should be self-regulating. The QP Model promotes this idea and that the recommended planning activities and organisational procedures define the feedback and control loops.

The book describes proven project management methods as well as elements of IEEE software development techniques to explain how to deliver reliable complex systems.

It is a good reference resource for any project manager or project team member, however it is written with special focus on project and program management in the following:
- Automotive industry
- Service industry (hospitals and hospitality)
- Industries requiring significant process controls
- Organisations complaint with ISO/TS 16749:2002, ISO 9001:2000
- Manufacturing industries that deploy
- Project management as part of their business process


It refers to Department of Defense sources as well as systems developed by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), General Motors, Chrysler and Ford to explain project management techniques that can assist development of any embedded system and which can be adapted for use in any development type project.

The book is structured to follow the normal project life cycle.

It starts with an overview of project management comparing the differences in approach by the Automobile Industry Action Group, the US Department of Defense, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the Electronics Industry Association. It discusses the various process management areas and stage gates or milestone reviews

It continues with a discussion of the generally accepted tools and techniques used including supplier selection, work breakdown structures, resource breakdown structures, estimating and scheduling, critical paths and network diagrams, and risk management. Also discussed are the financial aspects of project cost management including payback periods and returns on investment as well as earned value management techniques.

The conceptual phase of product development is then described with extensive discussion on bills of materials, product configuration management and quality assurance.

A description of the product development phase is then made it is during this phase that the product is designed and specified to meet stakeholder’s expectations.
It includes a discussions of the embedded development process and service process design which is often executed in parallel with the product development phase.

Validation of the product is then introduced. During these tasks, the integrity and reliability of the product is proven.

After product validation and verification, the product is released to production. This stage gate could be considered the end milestone for the development project.

However, further project involvement occurs during the failure reporting and product support phases.
The authors include a detailed discussion on the failure reporting, failure analysis and corrective action systems (FRACAS). They remind us that quick identification of a failure means quicker response and subsequent corrective action. This FRACAS phase starts at the beginning of the project and continues past the production start and provides the control mechanism for the overall development process.

A description of the product support phase is given. The goal of the product support phase is to make sure the product meets the customer’s expectations and is the transition point from project activities to operational activities.

The authors then open up a discussion on the differences between project and program management and the responsibilities of the program manager and various other topics relating to the project management processes deployed in the automotive industry including the impact from globalisation and the virtual project team.

There are extensive appendices describing project management documents and the multitude of design stages and quality audits included in the project management of embedded systems.



Also included throughout the book are many 'War Stories' describing practical solutions to real-life problems that may occur during project execution.

The authors have carried out significant research to support their own extensive experience in the subject matter.
The content of the book is well laid out with clear table of contents, bibliography and index.
The writing style and the page layout along with the use of tables and drawings, makes the book easy to read.

A ‘must read’ for all project personnel inside and outside the automotive industry.

Source: Sr. Quality Pro's
Date: November 18, 2010

For someone with no training in formal project management, the discussion of the various tools with examples is enlightening. The authors have touched on a wealth of topics without creating a monster of a reference book. The detail is adequate to enable the reader to apply the simpler concepts immediately or to seek more detail for the more complex tools. It is helpful in evaluating what tool to use where, through the comparison of alternative methodologies.